Barry was not okay. The first thought that had popped into his head before he had raced off to stop it from escalated was âsomeone else I care about is going to dieâ. That was his first thought, and until now that he felt the other wrap those arms around him, and kept him close. He was able to relax, to see that Blaine was in one piece, that he was okay, that he was living, and breathing. he was okay. âI understand, believe me I totally get it, itâs just who you are,â he held the shorter tighter. âBut be careful, just, just think before you do anything. If something happened to you, I  donât, I canât, Iâm really sure how I would handle that.â So in short, no he wasnât okay about what had happened. But he was glad about Blaine being here; breathing.
âI donât plan on repeating it..so I promise Iâll be careful,â he sighed softly and pressed a kiss to Barryâs head.  Guilt wiggled into his stomach and a deep frown tugged on the edges of his mouth. There wasnât anything else he could have done. His gut instinct was to jump in.  No one else did doing anything to help.  Whether or not that was the smartest thing to do was up in the air.  Probably leaning towards it not being very bright.  But he couldnât help it.  Putting Barry through any kind of worry felt awful and Blaine wished he never found out given how upset he was. Nuzzling down into the curve of Barryâs shoulder and neck, his breath ran warm across pale skin as he quietly reassured him, âPut that thought out of your mind.  Nothing will happen to me.  Ever.  I promise.â
Barry watched him, and he couldnât help but find it slightly adorable. Although he was ready to go, and help him if Blaine looked like he was really going to fall down. He resisted the urge to just reach out, and pull him closer. Considering he wasnât sure if he might be over stepping his boundaries. But considering theyâve accidentally kissed each other twiceâ. Hm. âWell, sometimes itâs sort of hard to tell with you,â he lightly joked. âYou seem to be ready to run each time it happens, I donât know if I should be offended or not,â he continued. Eventually he made his way over to Blaine, and while he seemed confident. Barry felt jittery, anxious, and nervous. Heâs tasking a risk, a chance, it could pay off, or it could totally go badly. Silently, Barry hoped for the former options. Humming a bit, he stepped into the shorterâs space, not leaving much between them. âI guess, maybe I shouldââ now he licked his own lips, glancing down at Blaineâs for a moment. âFind out, right?â he muttered. Thatâs the warning he gives the other, before leaning down, and kissed Blaine firmly on the lips. Crap, theyâre soft.
Yes. Â It was true. Â He was mortified both times they kissed before because the first one was completely accident and the second? Â He could still taste Barry on his lips and knew that heâd made yet another mistake that he wished he could blame on the alcohol but.. Â That pull in his belly? Â The one that guided him towards Barryâs throat and landed him in the position he was in again with the poor, patient guy? Â It was real and he wanted to do it. Blaineâs mouth decided to mimic a fish out of water as he tried to come up with something to say and the words didnât come easy. Â âI–just–I thought both times were not something you were okay with.â Â How was he supposed to say what he was thinking? Â The problem was? Â He really liked him. Â Either like that or not. Â And if he kept this up? Â Chances could be that Barry would stop wanting to even see him. Â Risking their friendship wasnât worth– Why was Barry looking at his lips? Â Hazel eyes watched and grew wide and curious as he licked his own too. Suddenly, the world spun upside down and took him along for the ride. Â Barry was so close now. Â Find out? Blaine barely got past being completely stunned before their mouths met and his hands lifted to rest gently on the bends of Barryâs elbows. Â –Oh! Â That find out.– Â Without wasting another second–Blaine lifted up to his toes and kissed him back just as firm, black lashes falling as his eyes closed and a quiet sound of his breath hitching was the only noise he could hear.
Barry had seen far too many people he cared for leave. Some alive, and some dead. And the last thing he wanted to happen, was to have Blaine be added to that list. He was tired of those close to him getting hurt or worse. But he also understood why the other did it, and heâs proud of course. That didnât stop the panic that had bubbled inside him, the worry, but also the relief once he realized Blaine was okay. The speedster gave his hand a squeeze, and a rather small smile. Before resting his head against the otherâs shoulder, as he sighed;Â âItâsâ itâs fine, I get it, I know why you did it. And Iâm, Iâm just glad that youâre okay.â
Rolling his lips between the front of his teeth–Blaine watched Barry close trying to gage his reaction and compare it to what he was saying.  Was he really okay? Or was he still reading what Blaine considered–though those close to him would argue the opposite considering he had put himself in a rough spot potentially–too much into what happened and worrying anyway.  Hey.  Blaine considered himself to be a master at it.  He shifted as he smiled the same size of smile back.  Then thought better and decided to turn until he could wrap both arms around Barryâs shoulders and pull him in close so he could rest his chin on top of his head.  âAre you sure itâs fine?  Or are you just saying that,â he whispered and squeezed tight.  âI promise Iâm not going to get hurt. Okay? Not now.  Not ever.  But I can never promise to turn a blind eye to anyone who needs help.  I hope you understand?â
Is this how Caitlin feels when sheâs slightly scolding him for being reckless? If it is, he sincerely apologizes for that. Barry sighed once again, closing his eyes as he took a small breath. âIâm NOT mad, I was worried, Iâm allowed to worry,â he answered. The speedster stayed quiet for a moment, then reached out, and placed a hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing. âThatâs not what Iâm saying Blaine, itâs just that things could have gone wrong. Very wrong, so youâ worried me. Thatâs all.â
He felt like he was in trouble. Â That awful sinking feeling that makes you swear your stomach is in the soles of your shoes while your heart cracks and your throat collapses. Â Yeah–that sort of trouble. Â It makes his eyes turn pleading and a frown bordering on a pout presses his lips together. Â âWhat you just said makes it worse, you know? Â Like when a parent tells you that they not mad..just disappointed.â Â Sighing softly–he catches Barryâs hand before it moves and uses it to tug Barry onto the couch beside him. Â âI didnât mean to worry you. Â I didnât. Â I just– Sorry.â Â Not that he regretted his choice. Â He didnât. Â He only regretted that it put Barry through any kind of hell. Unintentional as it was.
Barry gave him this unbelievable look. âSeriously?â he uttered, shaking his head. Thatâs got to be the worst argument ever. âIâm not mad at you, I was worried, Iâm still worried.â The speedster sighed, and shook rubbed the back of his neck. âWhyâd you do it?â
âSeriously.  If Iâm not hurt?  You canât be mad because you would be mad for no reason.  See,â he asked trying to make light of the situation because–deep down–he was still rattled. What happened could have gone terribly wrong. Barry being upset, though?  That was the worst.  Blaine stuttered, pushed his palms flat together and shoved them between his knees shrugging lightly.  âBecause if I didnât step in?  No one would. What kind of a person would that make me?â
âCould have are the words that really matter in this conversation. Yes. Â I could have gotten hurt–but I didnât and because of that? You–technically–canât be mad at me..â
Barry was caught between trying to feel impressed that this had worked or to dig a hole, and throw himself in it. Honestly, he didnât think anyone would call, it had been done as a joke, and maybe, just maybeâ heâd been a little sad, and desperate. Jeez, that sounds pathetic, considering youâre suppose to be a heroâ pft. At first, he had been worried that heâd might just fumble around with his words once he answered the phone. So far, so good, and hey-! Seems like heâs not the only one, judging from the otherâs words, tone, and heâs pretty sure that the phone had fallen. He could feel his cheeks go on full red, clearing his throat a little. âY-yeah,  I mean, yes, Iâm serious,â you got this Barry. Oh god, he hoped this wasnât being done as a prank. And that the other person on the line wasnât some creeper. It would be just his luck.
–Donât choke again. Â Youâre going to sound like a weirdo. Or an idiot making a prank that just had it blow up in his face.– Â Whatever one of the two was worse? Â Blaine wasnât sure which. Though he did pull his phone away from his ear long enough to stare at and give the glowing screen a hard blink of disbelief. Â Hey–it gave him a second to gather his thoughts and untie his tongue from the knots the barely there conversation tied it in. Â He had half his apology on the ready by the time he opened his mouth to speak. Â But? Â Once he answered the poor man? Something else came out. Â âYou donât sound so sure. Â I mean. Â If you are–? I–,â it finally caught up that his means of excusing himself from this call had taken a turn that he wasnât expecting. Why? Loneliness? Â Curiosity? Â Or the fact that when he dialed the number there was a small sliver of–what if? in the back of his mind he quickly pushed off into âthat is so something Iâd never do and Iâm NOT doing it now either–just being polite, considerate..nothing elseâ. Â Certainly not feeling his stomach do a twirl and a rush of adrenaline make his veins feel cold and burn all at once. Â Never. Â âYou know where I am.. Â You have my number. Â It shouldnât be too hard for you to find me.â Â Oh God. Why was he dizzy? Â It was just company. Â Company. Â Thatâs all.
Barry had honestly just written his number there on the few times he had managed to get intoxicated (thank you Caitlin and science), and was lonely. Yeah, yeah, it wasnât his best idea, or smartest move. But he just wanted to have a little bit of fun, to unwind, and relax. Even âheroesâ needed that every once in a while, right? âHiâ um, no this is Barry I just kinda figured you might be a prank caller or something,â he lightly chuckled, amused at someone elseâs ramblings for once. âItâs not really my thing, but I figured, why not? Might as well give it a shot.â Thereâs a bit of a pause between there. ââ Why? Are you interested? I mean, if youâre not thatâs fine. â
Blaine had no idea what reaction he was expecting from the guy on the other end of the line. There was a chance he did it on purpose but there was an off hand chance that someone was playing a dirty prank, too.  How long was the number there?  Maybe he was just beating a dead horse here but he had to give the guy a heads up.  A heads up that went in the extreme direction of the first option. Common sense or not?  What he just heard was–weirdly–not what he was expecting.  An eyebrow jerked up, his lips hung open and he stared at his reflection in the dingy glass like seeing his stunned expression would confirm Barryâs question. âI–uh–you–oh!  Oh!  Uhm–.â  Why were his hands suddenly shaking?  Why did the room feel hot and stuffy all the sudden?  And why the HELL did he drop the phone in the sink?!  Barry could hear a quick scrambling before a panicked voice.  âWait–Are you serious?â  No!  This stuff really didnât happen?  Did it?
Well, his evening had turned out to not be anything he really had expected tonight.  But he supposed that by now it was best to expect the very, very unexpected. Again, Blaine looked completely horrified, like he had kicked someoneâs puppy. But for the  moment he seemed to have calmed down. Barry sighed in relief. He watched the other right himself, like he was trying his best to remain steady on his feet. with Barry near by, ready to catch him in case he did lose his balance. .âWell-!â he found himself saying, before clearing his throat. âI donâtâ Most people wouldnât consider that a bad thing,â he lightly commented. Walking over to Blaine, and lightly nudged his shoulder against his. âIâm not complain,â he licked his lips, feeling slightly more confident than earlier.  âOr maybe,â he really hoped he hadnât been making assumptions, âMaybe next time itâll be my mouth,â said Barry with a lopsided grin on his lips. âI wouldnât mindâ unless you donât want to.â
Blaine might be horrified but winning triumph against the forces of gravity and preventing himself from making a further ass off himself earned an awkward smile of victory.  Fingers twitched mid-air like spider legs, ready to catch absolutely nothing to hang onto other than his own shadow but he managed to not fall.  A threat he was sure might become an un-threat and more reality the harder he began to panic over the idea that he, somehow, offended Barry. Well, not somehow.  He kissed him.  Again.  So there was no mystery as to why he ended up giving the poor guy another reason to run.  Not that he did the first time.  –Breathe, Blaine.–  The edge of his tongue peeked out to wetten his lips as he was about to launch into another round of apologies the second their gazes met.  âWhat..I,â shocked at what he heard–Blaine stuttered from the train-meet-wall way his brain whiplashed into paying attention to what Barry was saying and not what he was expecting to hear.  That was, definitely, unexpected and hit him square in the stomach hard enough to make his insides spin.  Not in a bad way. Confusion batted away the initial reaction with a pinch of his eyes and a dusting of color over olive cheeks.  âI–No,â dark eyebrows jerked up.. âMind?  I–what makes you think Iâd say no?  Or–wouldnât want to?â Â
Heâs pretty sure the âdeer caught in the headlightsâ will eventually be his signature lookâ or something. Barry froze, and felt like time stopped for just a moment. Yes, he was caught completely off guard, more so because he hadnât been bothered by the action. If anything, his cheeks had gained a healthy shade of red. One that the young CSI would most likely deny. He cleared his throat, glancing awayâ to the ground, to his shoes, to his lap, then to Blaine. âHeyâ hey,â he flailed his hands just a bit, settling them on his shoulders. âItâs okay, relax,â Barry said, trying to get the other calm down a little, and to reassure him that he wasnât upset. âSeriously, itâs fine, justâ take a minute, itâs okay.â âŚ.Truthfully, he was also hoping to avoid the other falling ill, but really, he was just trying to comfort Blaine now.Â
Barry playing tennis match with what object to stare at instead of meeting his eyes made Blaineâs heart sink right past his stomach and into the soles of his shoes. Â Awkward didnât dare touch on what his reaction felt like. Â Then there were hands on his shoulders, Barry was looking him in the eyes and doing his best to calm him down. Â It would have worked. Â If Blaine wasnât still a pinch drunk and a whole lot mortified. Â Gratefully smiling for his efforts–he patted the tops of Barryâs hand and then eased out of them. âWell. Â Hereâs to the first becoming the second?â Once he was free, Blaine stood with a weeble wobble effect that hands lifted at the sides of his hips tried to balance out while he studied the grass like he was trying to measure where the best place to find gravity would be. Â âOh God, maybe we should just avoid each other,â the tip of his toe poked at the ground testing it, âOr you should avoid me. Â Seeing as how my mouth has this habit of constantly landing on you.â
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